Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Book Review: A Fellowship of Differents by Scot McKnight

In Scot McKnight's book A Fellowship of Differents,

he shines a light on how people are getting excluded in the church (body of Messiah) because they are different. He digs into some Bible passages about the early churches and how they were set up and that many of the congregations in this day and age don't resemble those churches as far as including EVERYONE that is a part of congregation. He speaks about different kinds of people that get left out, such as the poor, widows and widowers, people of different races, people that sin differently than we do, etc. These people might dress or act differently than everybody else in our congregations but they still should be included...and LOVED. He explains how when we love everybody in our fellowships it is a work of God's grace.

This book was packed full of what I think are important truths about fellowshipping in the body of Messiah (Jesus). It has helped me to understand how married and single people think differently in terms of connection. I was glad that Mr. McKnight explains about introverts in congregations through this quote also:

"Many churches, if you haven't thought about this, are shaped by and for extroverts, and for some introverts a church service is overwhelmingly demanding emotionally, as they'd prefer more quiet, more reflection, softer music, and gentler-toned messages..." (Page 215)

WOW! That spoke very heavily to me because I have an introverted brain!

I wish this book would have dug into how some congregations are set up for poor people to automatically be excluded when they cannot afford to purchase classes, meals, and fellowship opportunities but that is a very deep topic in itself.

Even though I am part of a Judeo-Christian-like congregation instead of a Christian one I believe this book explains important truths that can be used in all congregations representing Jesus (Yeshua) and God to help the congregations in our world become more like a Fellowship of Differents like I believe they should be.